---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only a very few would allow creatures…"
description: "\"Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Thus our presence selects out from this vast array only these universes that are compatible wit..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/stephen-hawking-389_astronomy_only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-li_2343461.jpg"
---

#  Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist…

![“Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Thus our presence selects out from this vast array only these universes that are compatible without existence. Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the cosmos, this makes us in a sense, the lords of creation.” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/stephen-hawking-389_astronomy_only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-li_2343461.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/stephen-hawking-389_astronomy_only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-li_2343461.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/stephen-hawking-389_astronomy_only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-li_2343461.jpg)

> “Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Thus our presence selects out from this vast array only these universes that are compatible without existence. Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the cosmos, this makes us in a sense, the lords of creation.”

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human existence is tiny yet uniquely influential in the universe.

**In simple terms:** We are small but impactful creators.

Key Takeaway

Embrace responsibility.

Themes

existence cosmos responsibility

Mood

thoughtful humble

Type

philosophical scientific

When to use this quote

- space exploration
- ethical debates
- technological development

Key Concepts

anthropic principle philosophy of science

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we choose compatible universes?
- What responsibilities arise from our role?

A Different Perspective

Our influence is limited by knowledge.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Compatible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compatible/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Exist Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-presence-775019/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Puny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-puny-5678951/) [Insignificant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insignificant/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scales/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universes/) [Universes Compatible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universes-compatible-5678950/)

## Related quotes

> [We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/we-must-have-a-pie-stress-cannot-exist-in-the-presence-of-a-pie/)

[David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/)

> [“Your focus' results in making you exist, even in the presence of other prominent things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anvita-bajpai/your-focus-results-in-making-you-exist-even-in-the-presence-of-other/)

[Anvita Bajpai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anvita-bajpai/)

> [According to 'M' theory, ours is not the only universe. Instead, 'M' theory predicts that a great many universes were created out of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/according-to-m-theory-ours-is-not-the-only-universe-instead-m-theory/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/most-sets-of-values-would-give-rise-to-universes-that-although-they/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [Religion believes in miracles, but these aren't compatible with science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/religion-believes-in-miracles-but-these-aren-t-compatible-with-science/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [I believe in the possible. I believe, small though we are, insignificant though we may be, we can reach a full understanding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-believe-in-the-possible-i-believe-small-though-we-are-insignificant/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [The human race is just a chemical scum on a moderate-sized planet, orbiting around a very average star in the outer suburb of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-is-just-a-chemical-scum-on-a-moderate-sized-planet/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> ['Eternal inflation,' as it's called - the endless generation of new universes - may be a hyper-cosmic imperative. It seems that it must happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/eternal-inflation-as-it-s-called-the-endless-generation-of-new/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Metaphysics is the study of how to shift the self. How to get outside the self-reflection and to just gaze with awe and wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/metaphysics-is-the-study-of-how-to-shift-the-self-how-to-get-outside/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [These new theories of the universe, that there are multiple universes just bubbling up constantly - it's all pretty wild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-seshadri/these-new-theories-of-the-universe-that-there-are-multiple-universes/)

[Vijay Seshadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-seshadri/)

> [I lived in Saudi Arabia in the late 1970s. It was, for a Westerner, pretty idyllic. There were the religious police; there were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lacey/i-lived-in-saudi-arabia-in-the-late-1970s-it-was-for-a-westerner/)

[Robert Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lacey/)

> [Surely our job while we're here on Earth is to learn about the world, not to create parallel universes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/surely-our-job-while-we-re-here-on-earth-is-to-learn-about-the-world/)

[David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/)

> [In different lifetimes, you incarnate in different dimensional planes, let alone in different universes in the physical universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-different-lifetimes-you-incarnate-in-different-dimensional-planes/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“every choice forecloses on other choices; each step forward leaves a thousand dead possible universes behind you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/every-choice-forecloses-on-other-choices-each-step-forward-leaves-a/)

[Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/)

> [I like to think of my books and the movies of my books living in two separate universes. Each is very nice, but only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-like-to-think-of-my-books-and-the-movies-of-my-books-living-in-two/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

## More by Stephen Hawking

> [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-are-the-product-of-quantum-fluctuations-in-the-very-early-universe/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [The human race does not have a very good record of intelligent behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-does-not-have-a-very-good-record-of-intelligent/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [“We have finally found something that doesn’t have a cause, because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-have-finally-found-something-that-doesn-t-have-a-cause-because/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-believe-the-simplest-explanation-is-there-is-no-god-no-one-created/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [The Paralympic Games is about transforming our perception of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-paralympic-games-is-about-transforming-our-perception-of-the-world/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [The increase of disorder or entropy is what distinguishes the past from the future, giving a direction to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-increase-of-disorder-or-entropy-is-what-distinguishes-the-past/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/most-sets-of-values-would-give-rise-to-universes-that-although-they/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, and science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/there-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-religion-which-is-based-on/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [“In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: Did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/in-the-eighteenth-century-philosophers-considered-the-whole-of-human/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [“Empedocles noticed that if you cover the neck before you immerse it, a clepsydra does not fill. He reasoned that something invisible must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/empedocles-noticed-that-if-you-cover-the-neck-before-you-immerse-it-a/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-shouldn-t-have-all-its-eggs-in-one-basket-or-on-one/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [I hope I have helped to raise the profile of science and to show that physics is not a mystery but can be understood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-hope-i-have-helped-to-raise-the-profile-of-science-and-to-show-that/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

[Explore all 601 Stephen Hawking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

## More Astronomy quotes

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/)

[Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/)

[Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/)

> [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/)

[Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/)

[Sylviek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylviek/)

> [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/)

[Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/)

> [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Thus our presence selects out from this vast array only these universes that are compatible without existence. Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the cosmos, this makes us in a sense, the lords of creation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Hawking"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-like-us-to-exist-thus-our/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astronomy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-like-us-to-exist-thus-our/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/stephen-hawking-389_astronomy_only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-li_2343461.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/stephen-hawking-389_astronomy_only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-li_2343461.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/stephen-hawking-389_astronomy_only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-li_2343461.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Thus our presence selects out from this vast array…” — Stephen Hawking",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Stephen Hawking",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Only a very few would allow...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-like-us-to-exist-thus-our/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/only-a-very-few-would-allow-creatures-like-us-to-exist-thus-our/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
